["Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis study examines how firms in emerging markets, operating under institutional gaps and resource constraints, can develop collaborative sustainable supply chain (SSC) capacity to address complex sustainability challenges. The research employs an exploratory qualitative methodology, based on content analysis of corporate non‐financial reports and semi‐structured interviews with supply chain (SC) practitioners, to provide rigorous, empirical insights. Key findings elucidate the nature, key barriers, and critical enablers of SSC collaboration (SSCC), mapping them onto a progressive pathway for developing collaborative capacity—from initial supplier assessment to advanced multi‐stakeholder partnerships. The study contributes theoretically by clarifying its application of the relational view in the SSC literature, emphasizing a multistage evolution of collaborative capabilities. Practically, strategic guidance for companies in emerging markets aiming to implement effective SSCC is offered.\n"]